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The BJ Tour continues as Brian and Jeff join us on a visit
to Warsaw. As none of us had been to Poland before, we began our visit with a
walking tour of Old Town from the orange umbrella company and our sassy guide,
Michal. We learned of history, architecture, and the proper way to drink vodka.
Yes, Michal brought us to a pub for a snack of Smalec (pork lard spread on
bread with a pickle- delicious!) and instructed us on the proper way to drink vodka, and
also the only ways to refuse vodka. Because drinking vodka together is a social
tradition, you cannot simply refuse without risking offending your host. Jeff suggested claiming to be pregnant, but
since that only works for some of us, Michal also suggested claiming allergies
to potatoes, barley, grain, and corn. And you must claim allergies to all, or your host will simply bring a different kind of vodka. Our favorite
was Zabrowka, although I don’t know how anyone gets used to drinking that much
vodka. My stomach is still burning. He
also explained the importance of giving a toast before the shot, and how it’s
key to go on for far too long, until the arms of all guests are quivering.
Jeff, Brian, Chris and I insisted on bringing this tradition to every meal.
My favorite part of the walking tour came at exactly 11:15.
According to Michal, every day at 11:15 a trumpeter appears in the window of
the Royal Castle to play a national tune in honor of the exact time the clock
stopped when the palace was bombed, the beginning of the complete destruction
of Old Town in WWII. However, 11:15 is also the exact time the clock was
restarted when the building was rebuilt, so the powerful moment carried both a
happy and sad story.
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We also took a bike tour visiting key sites of Communist
occupied Warsaw. This was particularly interesting to me because I had very
little knowledge of this time in Poland’s history. Our guide took us to many
controversial areas, including a monument to the Soviet soldiers that died in
Warsaw during WWII. Our guide explained that since Warsaw was under Communist
control, honoring these soldiers was the same as erecting a statue for the
Germans. To make matters more complicated, we were there on the 75th
anniversary of the Soviet army invading the city so there were cops on site to prevent vandalism or a demonstration. He also led us through very busy,
heavily trafficked parts of town, which for some of us who were recently in a
horrific bike accident, was pretty stressful. But he also led us through
several beautiful parks and gardens, which far made up for the extremely
perilous cobblestones of death.
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Brian and Jeff enthusiastically joined our quest to try as
many new beers as possible. We probably bought 40 different .5L bottles to try
during our late night activity planning sessions. My favorites were Sloty Kat,
Teskie, and of course anything that tasted strongly of strawberries (great
choice, Brian). We tried new beers and vodkas in cafes as well, often per the
suggestion of our server. It was fun to eat in Old Town square, even though
Michal told us that’s where tourists go, not locals. But Old Town at night
looked like an old time postcard and the people watching was exceptional so we
went a few times. We also wanted to get a more local feel, so we visited a
small café in Praga, a neighborhood a bit dodgier than the other parts of
Warsaw we visited, however felt much more like a place we would live in than
the touristy Old Town. Claudia, an extremely pleasant, enthusiastic server with
enough English to help us translate the menu, took us back through a hidden-door
bookshelf into a beautiful secret back garden where we enjoyed soft pizzas,
beer and of course, vodka.
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We discovered a very exciting activity while in Warsaw
called “Room Escape”. Similar to video games the boys claim to have often played
(get a job, am I right?), Room Escape gives you 60 minutes to, you guessed it,
escape a room. We chose the Indiana Jones style excavation theme, where we had
to work together to solve puzzles, find keys and use more math than our beer
focused vacation minds were used to. We escaped the tomb with three minutes to
spare! Great job, team. While this activity had nothing to do with history,
culture, or even Warsaw, (we found a similar company in Minnetonka), it was
still one of our favorite adventures.
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As I said, none of us had visited Warsaw before, and I for
one left far more educated about Warsaw, the war, and most importantly, the
Warsaw Uprising. I would highly recommend a visit to the Warsaw Uprising
Museum. The people of Warsaw showed such bravery and resilience when being
attacked from all sides with little assistance from the Allies. We learned that
85% of Warsaw was completely destroyed by 1945, although less than 70 years
later and you would never know it. Some buildings were recreated to look
exactly as they did before the war – many funded by the Polish people
themselves when the government moved too slowly - while other buildings, like
the new Warsaw Spire, are adding a modern spice to the classic city.
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We were unable to see more of Poland on this trip, so we’re
of course planning a return to visit Poznan, Krakow, and more of Warsaw. Until
then, we will have to see if they sell Zabrowka in Minneapolis.
Na zdrowie! lovefromkatie
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